The Downward Spiral
by sapphiremoon866335866
Summary: Draco and Hermione have been married for over five years, but it hasn't always been pretty. As the couple seem to be spiraling towards divorce, a new threat to the wizarding world arrives. Partnered up by their departments, the two must work together to save their world and possibly, their marriage. Warning: Violence
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is sort of based off of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I love that film, so I decided to rewrite it and work it as a Dramione. There will be several quotes from the film and ideas, but I will be adding and changing stuff and if it all goes perfectly, it should be awesome because I do have an idea of where to take it so that it's a tad different. Much love x

XXXXXXXXXX

Sunlight filtered into the rather large room, illuminating the space. A library of books adorned the wall opposite from the door, the wall adjacent to it, to the right of the door was simply glass windows. A light ivory curtain was hung over it, simply for decoration. In front of the windows was a desk, a slightly messy one, but it was an organized mess. A nameplate sat in the middle. The wall with the door held frames with certificates and awards for the counselor while the wall opposite the windows held photos and decorations. There was an empty space in the middle of the room, mostly where couples sat to meditate on their problems. To the left of that space, facing away from the books, were two pea green sofa chairs with a small, tall coffee table placed between them. In front of those chairs, facing the books, was a single tall sofa chair. All three chairs were currently occupied.

It was quiet, for the most part, save for the occasional scratching of a pen. He looked down at his notepad, peering over his glasses to jot down a few notes, nodding his head as if agreeing with himself. His gaze danced over to the couple in the chair and he narrowed his eyes, studying them. He watched their body language and dipped his head again, scribbling some notes. "Alright, what the bloody hell are you writing?" His head snapped up to look at her and he smiled, an action which had her scowling at him. "We haven't said a word, yet you've written nearly four pages of notes. I'm beginning to think you're faking."

"I can assure you, I am not." Dean Thomas shook his head looking between his former classmates. "I'm sorry, you two were brought here to fix your marriage. Apparently, it's in terrible shambles. Not just according to you, according to everyone." He sat up straighter, crossing his right leg over his left. "Even without saying a word, you two say plenty. You always have, even when we were back at Hogwarts." He paused for a moment. "Now, this is your second session. And you've not yet uttered a word on your actual marriage. If you'd like to continue that pattern, you may, really. I get paid either way, but I like my job. It's not about fixing people or changing people, I'm mending a relationship, I'm assisting you in bringing happiness back into your lives."

"Honestly, you couldn't sound more like some hippie." She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, looking away from his amused face.

"Hermione." His voice held warning, but she refused to look at her husband. Draco straightened up, looking at Dean. "Don't mind her. Couple's therapy was Potter's idea. Apparently, you did quite the spell on his and Ginny's marriage."

"I did." Dean nodded proudly. "Although without the use of real spells. It was all through communication. They helped themselves by allowing me to see the cracks in their marriage." Draco nodded, looking to his wife.

"I'm sorry, could you give us a moment. I'd like to have a minute alone with Hermione."

"Of course. I'll be back in a few. Coffee? Tea?" The couple shook their heads and he headed out, closing the door behind him. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman? You practically drag me in here, TWICE, and make no attempts to fix this." He turned to her and she chuckled dryly.

"Oh, don't make this all my fault! It's not like you're jumping for the chance to speak up." She crossed her legs, huffing. "And maybe I realized our marriage isn't worth saving. We grew apart, Draco, we knew it would happen eventually. It was never a question of if, it was only a matter of when."

"Well, maybe that's true, but if there's one thing you should have realised in all of our years together is that I don't give up so easily. I am here, even if I honestly don't believe we need to be. We can work this out on our own! But you wanted me here, so act like it." He kept his icy eyes on her and she nodded, dropping her arms to her side.

"Fine." She fixed her boots higher up her calves as the door opened and Dean walked back in.

"Ready to give this another try?" He rose a brow, taking a seat across from them and they both nodded. "Good. Who would like to start?"

There was a moment of silence as both Malfoys shifted in their seats. Hermione moved a strand of hair from her face. She had a messy bun with two strands framing her face. She wore an olive green button-up blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt. On her feet were slick black heels. Her lips turned up in amusement, her fingers lacing together as she tried not to look at her husband. The action brought her ring in to attention, a large teardrop shaped 5 carat diamond surrounded by a platinum band. Draco wore a light blue button-up shirt under a sweater vest, something that reminded Dean of their years at Hogwarts, but was somehow very different. He had on black slacks and black dress shoes. Both spouses had a black watch on their left hand, gifts from Hermione's parents, engraved with their wedding date.

"I'll go." Hermione hid her surprise as Draco spoke up and Dean nodded his approval, signaling for the man to continue. "I guess I'll start by saying that I don't think we even really need to be here. I know we've had problems, but…this is hardly the worst of it. We've been married for five-"

"-six." Hermione corrected, her eyes looking down at her hands as she listened.

"Five-six years now and this is like a checkup for us. A chance to poke around and figure out the problem and get better." Draco answer, while Hermione resisted the urge to put her face in her palms and groan.

"I understand. I- we will start with some questions first, if that's alright." The couple nodded, both crossing their arms at the same time. "I know we do in fact know one another, but this isn't school anymore, we've grown up. We've changed and I no longer need to know you individually. I need to understand Hermione Malfoy and Draco Malfoy, Hermione's husband."

"We get it." Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, finding her time being wasted. Why did she agree to this? Harry and Ginny were happier than ever, but why would she agree to come here? Why did she agree to any of it? To marry the man who made her life hell? To have a really, really wonderful life with him. Which they did, before everything went to shit the past year.

Dean shifted in his seat, letting go of his quick-quotes-quill and charming it to stay up and write. "Okay. Well, on a scale of 1 to 10, how happy would you say you are in your marriage?"

"Eight!" Hermione answered quickly, and Dean could easily tell it was a lie. He turned to Draco, who wore a confused look on his face.

"You're asking with ten being perfectly happy and one being totally miserable?" He tilted his blonde head and Hermione took a breath, internally screaming.

"Just answer instinctively." The quill wrote quickly, taking down Dean's thoughts.

"Okay. I guess on three." He turned to Hermione and nodded. She kept her eyes on Dean and together, on three, they spoke.

"Eight." And the questions continued. There were some very easily answered, but not truthfully. Dean could see they had silent agreements on which questions to answer honestly or not. It seemed the only positive thing about their relationship. Well, if his next question went answered, it could be another positive.

"And how often do you have sex?" He saw Draco visibly tense and Hermione narrowed her eyes, watching Dean.

"I don't understand the question." She placed her hands on her knees, nibbling on her lower lip. "We've done the scale thing for a bunch of questions, is this a 1 to 10 thing also?"

"Yeah, I'm confused. Because 1 could be very little or is one nothing? Because- technically speaking zero would be nothing." Dean shook his head, watching the two interact. They were doing their best to make this the worst couple's session he'd ever had. It seemed like they didn't even want to try. "And then what's ten? Is it-" She made a motion with her hand, seemingly overwhelmed. "I mean, is it constant?"

"Unrelenting-"

"-not doing anything else, no time for-"

"-nothing to eat." They interrupted each other with ease, another positive Dean noted. It showed how well they knew each other. Hermione was smiling, attempting to hide it from Draco, whose features held an amused smirk.

Dean shook his head, nearly on the brink of his frustration. "I know it may seem a bit odd, being that we went to school together and we- Hermione- were sort of friends, but I am here as your marriage counselor. It's not a scale question, you just have to answer it honestly. How. Often. Do. You. Have. Sex?" Hermione took a breath, crossing her arms. She looked at the wall behind Dean, unspeaking. Draco scratched the back of his head and remained silent. Her eyes furrowed in though, her fingers moving as if she was counting. Several times she opened her mouth to speak, finding herself unable to. "Let me make it a little easier. How many times this week?"

Hermione continued, trying desperately to remember. Draco's brows furrowed together. "Including the weekend?" Dean nodded and he watched as they both remained quiet. The only noise in the room was that of the quill scratching against the notepad.

"Next question. Describe how you first met." This earned him a head tilt from both parties and he elaborated. "After Hogwarts, I mean. We all know how you met there. I mean when you first met after graduation and decided there was a semblance of humanity in each other."

"We met in Argentina." Hermione answered, crossing her legs the other way.

"In a small town outside Buenos Aires, to be exact." Draco nodded, lacing his fingers together. "Five years ago."

Hermione closed her eyes, releasing a small breath. "Six."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N This chapter and the next will be mostly memories from when they first met to a while after. So bear with the many little scenes. I do not own any Harry Potter characters or world nor content from the film I'm using as a base, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

 _-FIVE OR SIX YEARS AGO –_

 _He walked down the dirt road, running his fingers through his blonde hair, which was currently covered in the Argentinian dirt. The hotel he'd be staying at was just down a few ways and he'd opted for walking, although now he couldn't understand why. He pushed the aviator sunglasses further up his nose, his left hand holding a canteen of water. He sipped from it, looking behind him at the long, winding road. There were a few houses along the way, but he managed to pass by them undetected. He narrowed his eyes as he crossed the street, passing by a few shops and a plaza, nearing the hotel. He had already slept there one night so his stuff was all up in his room. He was in town for work and everything had gone according to plan. He stopped at the shop by the hotel, picking up a beer. He surely deserved it. He lifted his glasses up his nose, entering the hotel lobby, walking up to the desk. "Can I have a couple of hot towels sent to my room?"_

" _Perdon?" The man rose a brow, clearly not understanding. "No entiendo." Draco sighed, shaking his head as he took out a dictionary. Someone really needed to create a spell to eliminate language barriers._

" _Uh…en mi cuarto..calientes toallas." Draco looked up at the man, who furrowed his brows, turning to another woman behind the desk, speaking quickly to her. He shook his head._

" _No. No, señor. No toallas. No towels." The man gave Draco a few dry towels. "Perdon, señor."_

 _He groaned, turning away from the man, looking toward the doorway and it was just his luck. The most beautiful girl walked in, dark brown hair half-up, silver goop earrings framing her neck. He recognized her immediately. He smiled, his blue eyes shining. The doors were only closed for a second before they burst open again and a group of aurors walked in. To anyone else, to muggles, they were probably just officers, with normal uniforms, but the Argentinian Ministry "A" was hard to miss for witches and wizards. His brow furrowed as he watched them, the man behind the counter. "What's going on there? What are they saying?"_

 _The man listened, his eyes widening. "Someone shot the leader of the force. They're looking for tourists travelling alone."_

 _Draco turned back as the aurors moved to the girl, questioning her. "Estas sola? Estas sola?"_

 _He took a step forward and she spotted him. Unable to look away from him, she sort of shook her head. "No. No! I'm not alone." He smiled and moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders._

" _No, no, esta bien. She's with me." He looked down at her and she grinned, nodding._

" _That's right. This is my husband. We're newlyweds." She placed her hand on his chest and lay her head against him. Turning from the aurors, they made their way to his room._

 _Xxx_

 _Hermione jostled as the taxi drove over the dirt road. She twirled her dark brown hair over her index finger, looking out the window. She turned her head, looking to her right, not noticing the blonde who walked into the hotel behind her. "Espera, espera!" She motioned for the driver of the taxi to stop. "Aqui." She was in no way fluent in Spanish, but she knew enough words to get herself around._

 _The taxi stopped and she pushed open the door, moving her sunglasses up onto her head as she exited. She wore a thin, white, long-sleeved blouse and denim shorts with a pair of flats on her feet. She took the luggage from the driver, paying what he was due and thanking him before making her way to the hotel. Hermione stopped to light a cigarette, a habit she often grew fond of while travelling. She never smoked in front of Harry and Ginny. Apart from the fact it was a horrid habit, Ginny was currently two months pregnant. She looked around her, noting the aurors entering several businesses. She turned to a woman working behind a balloon cart. "I'm sorry, what are they looking for?"_

 _The lady looked behind her and back at Hermione. "They are the police. They are searching for tourists travelling alone. Someone shot the leader of the police force. They believe the culprit was someone who could go undetected. Hence, why they look for a tourist." Hermione nodded, turning her attention to the hotel at the same time the aurors did. She hoped to arrive before they did and she had, by only a few seconds._

 _She looked around, barely catching the platinum blonde hair before her path was blocked by an auror. Her blood pounded in her ears and she couldn't even really hear him, but she had an idea of what he was asking. She stared at Draco, unable to look away. It'd been almost two years since she'd last seen him. She shook her head. "No, no. I'm not alone." Draco walked toward her, smiling and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She probably would've cringed if she hadn't been so happy to see him, something she'd never thought she'd be._

" _No, no, esta bien. She's with me." He looked down at her and Hermione couldn't help but grin, nodding._

" _That's right. This is my husband. We're newlyweds." She placed her hand on his chest and lay her head against him. Turning from the aurors, they made their way to his room. They walked in silence, Draco moving from her to push the door open to his room after turning the key. He stepped aside, allowing her in. He closed the door behind her and leaned against it as she left her suitcase by the entryway to the bedroom. Definitely not what she thought would happen today. "Malfoy."_

" _Granger."_

 _And then, they didn't say a word. Not while they moved about the room, nor when Hermione entered the bathroom for a quick shower, or exited in nothing but a towel. They remained in silence as they got ready for dinner. Hermione managed to slip on a soft, white cami and a knee-length white skirt, while Draco switched into a thin, long-sleeved, white shirt and a pair of comfortable khaki pants. As she exited the bathroom, placing her hoop earrings on, she paused, noticing how matching they were. Neither of them brought it up, and just like that, they exited their room again and made their way down the stairs and outside to grab a bite to eat._

 _XXXXXXXXX_

 _Hermione took two beers from the cooler, placing one in front of Draco and keeping the other for herself. She rose her bottle, "To dodging bullets." The blonde rose a brow, clinking his bottle with hers. "What?"_

" _Nothing…they shot the Head auror, apparently and you're talking about bullets." He spoke calmly, as if she was an old friend and Hermione found herself rather okay with it. She tilted her head at him, smiling._

" _You're not accusing me of anything, are you?" She moved her hair behind her shoulder, leaning forward. "Just because I'm muggleborn does not mean I would use a gun to kill someone. Magic is much less tricky."_

 _He shook his head, smiling despite himself. "I'm not accusing you of anything."_

" _Good." She smiled and stood, drinking some more of her beer. "I was beginning to think you'd gone mute since graduation. Now I see you can talk, can you dance?" She shook her bottle, eyeing it's nearly empty contents and tossing it into a lit trash bin, the fire growing immediately. He made a face, remaining in his seat and she laughed, swaying side to side as the music played. "Come on, Malfoy. We're all the way in South America. I'm sure no one will know you had a dance with the mudblood." She lifted her hands above her head, tilting her face up as she moved slowly._

 _Draco stood, watching her moves. "That's not the problem." He walked over to her, removing his hands from his pockets and extending one to her, which she took, slightly surprised, but welcoming. "It's your awful dancing." This earned him a laugh, a genuine one, as he pulled her to his chest._

 _They danced the entire night, drunk on their secrecy. No one knew them here, no one could judge them for being so close to one another. Draco spun Hermione into his chest, her arms moving around his neck, her lips by his ear. She kept her eyes closed, moving slowly yet sensually along with him. He kept his hands on her waist as they danced, his breath hot against her neck. Hermione smiled as he dipped her, his hand on the small of her back, fingers digging into her skin. An arm moved around his shoulders as he lifted her up to him, their noses brushing up against each other. He turned her so her back was to him and they swayed gently, his lips ghosting over her shoulder and up her neck, breath tickling her ear. She grinned, closing her eyes, turning her head down and to a side, enjoying the feel of his body along hers. Her fingers curled into his hair, one of his hands moving up her body._

 _Eventually, the kisses came, but they had yet to be planted on their lips. Draco kissed her tenderly on her cheek, then just beside her lips, he held her close to him and she reciprocated, her hands clinging onto him. It seemed like neither one wanted the other to let go, afraid they would wake up soon in their beds in London. After a moment, the fires had died down, thunder rolling above their heads. Draco sat on a chair by their table, Hermione straddling his hips as they laughed, refilling their glasses of whiskey. Neither really talked much, unwilling to ruin the moment, but they understood. This was odd, but it was welcome. Draco brought the bottle to his lips, deciding there was no reason to continue pouring into a glass, they were nearly finished with the bottle anyways._

 _He stared at her, admiring the way her cheeks were flushed pink, from embarrassment or the alcohol, he couldn't really tell, but it was beautiful on her. She took the bottle from him and sipped it, keeping her brown eyes on his. They both leaned in, their lips a hair's breath away. As they closed the distance, her hands moved into his hair and she pressed herself close against him. His arms wrapped around her waist and he shifted in his seat, knowing he'd be getting up out of it soon. They kissed deeply and passionately, both not willing to let go._

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

 _The sun filtered in through the large open window, illuminating the naked girl on the bed. She was covered with a white sheet, her hand placed over the empty space beside her. Slowly, she shifted, waking up. Hermione blinked rapidly, taking in the sunlight as she lifted her head. She was alone. She sat up, hugging the sheets to her chest and looking around the room. Empty. He'd left. She frowned, running her hand over her hair, shaking her head. She should've known. A part of her was expecting this last night, but an even bigger part was hoping it wasn't the case. She took a breath, staring out the window. The door pushed open and Draco walked in, a small tray in his hand. She grinned, chuckling. "Hey, stranger."_

" _Sleep well?" He smiled softly, closing the door with his shoulder and moving towards her. She nodded and crossed her legs, remaining seated on the bed, clutching the white sheets to her chest. "Good. I couldn't find room service. I thought they were supposed to be great in this hotel, but I guess you can't trust everything you read." He placed the tray on the bed. "I managed to gather up some things to call it a nice breakfast."_

 _She looked down at the tray which held two cups of coffee, some bread, cheese, and what could be either rotten milk or some yoghurt. She hid her amused smile and looked up at him with beautiful brown eyes, bringing one of the coffee cups to her lips. He took his own, moving over to the window, leaning against the frame. She drank, closing her eyes. "Not bad. It's actually really good."_

" _It better be. I had to milk a goat to get it." He turned to her, grinning. She laughed, shaking her head and taking the newspaper, reading the front page. So the Head auror_ was _killed. She rose a brow at the fully bloomed lily laying on the tray, taking it. Hermione turned her head up to look at Draco, sticking the flower behind her ear. He licked his lips as he watched her, sipping his coffee and she stood, keeping herself covered. She walked over to him, leaning against the opposite frame._

" _Since when do you know so much about muggle stuff?" She tilted her head, looking out towards the street. They were on the fifth floor. "I thought that stuff was forbidden to you."_

" _People change." It was his only explanation and she took it, nodding. She didn't know how much two years could change someone, but if last night's actions were any proof, he'd changed. "My life took a different turn after school, I wanted to be better. I am."_

 _She smiled and pushed away from the wall. "You are." Draco turned his head towards her, extending his free hand for her to grab, which she did. He pulled her to him and met her halfway, closing the space between their lips. He dropped his coffee cup on the floor, deciding to pick it up later and lifted her, kicking the tray off the bed._

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

 _A/N I do hope you enjoyed it! Please Review!_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Chapter three! Another couple of memories, but this will be the last chapter that is mostly memory than present day. Please review! Hope you enjoy x

 _-Five or Six Years Ago-_

 _Hermione and Draco spent another four weeks in Argentina before they decided it was time to go home. They spent those weeks walking around the small town, relaxing and shopping. They went out dancing almost every night and had the most amazing dinners. It was one month of pure bliss. There was no one to tell them what they were doing was wrong. There was no one there remind them of how crazy they probably were. Draco made Hermione laugh, really laugh and vice-versa. It was a shame they spent so long hating one another. This could have started so much sooner, something both of them constantly reminded the other of. Hermione constantly reminded him of he was sleeping with and made no efforts to dissuade how dirty she could really be, much to Draco's pleasure._

 _Although they weren't fully homesick, they had to admit, they missed their friends. Even if there was a guarantee that they'd freak out over their current lover. The two agreed they'd arrive at Hermione's first, to help her settle back in and then go to Draco's. Hermione would go pick up Crookshanks from the Potters the next morning. There was no need to tell their friends yet. It could wait a few more weeks…or months. They received the proper permits from the Argentinian Minister of Magic to portkey cross-country and soon, they were shrinking their trunks, placing them in Hermione's purse. She took her boyfriend's hand, heading down the hotel steps after they double checked they hadn't forgotten anything. They were to meet a black town car which held the Minister of Magic and he would accompany to the field where the Portkey was. Hermione smiled as they entered the vehicle, chatting in slow, broken Spanish with the high-regarded official. Draco sat in silence, admiring her, chuckling at some of the words she stumbled upon. If his Spanish was any good, which it really wasn't, he could infer they were having a conversation of the illegality of cross-country apparation._

 _A few minutes later, the couple were exiting the car, bidding the Minister goodbye. Draco chuckled as he headed in the direction of the portkey. He pulled Hermione to him and picked her up, carrying her on his back, his hands on her calves, holding her closely and tightly. "There!" She pointed ahead, turning back to wave at the Minister. "Gracias!" She yelled out as Draco sprinted to the charmed shoe. "Are you ready?" She whispered in his ear and he nodded, placing her on the ground gently._

" _Are you?" He placed his wand in its holster, walking around the magical transportation. There was the silent question, making sure she was completely ready to go._ "People will hate us together." _Draco had warned, but she simply shook off his worries, not believing a word of it._

" _I don't suppose I'll ever be. Argentina's been great. More than great, it's been…amazing, actually." She frowned and he moved over to her, shaking his head, understanding where her thoughts were heading._

 _His right thumb traced over her cheek and he smiled softly. "Hey. Don't do that. We're just going home. Nothing has to change." He pressed his forehead to hers and she nodded, taking a breath._

" _You're right. Nothing has to change. Nothing_ will _change. Everyone will know, eventually, but we'll be alright." She straightened her clothes, the same outfit she wore when she met Draco that first day. She stood on one side and he stood on the other. "Ready?" She looked to the blonde, who nodded and together they took ahold of the charmed shoe. Instantly, they were in the air, twirling, the wind making it very hard to see. Draco yelled something and Hermione almost didn't catch it, but as he let go, she unclenched her fingers and they both landed on the floor easily a few moments later. It'd been several years since that incident heading to the Quidditch World Cup. Hermione had used a portkey so many times now, there was no way she couldn't stick the landing._

" _Where is-Oh?" Draco wondered aloud, taking in their surroundings. They were in the middle of a clearing, forest all around them. "Forest of Dean? Really, Ms. Granger, can you be more predictable?" She wacked his arm and he shook his head, taking her hand. "Wait, we can apparate from here, right?"_

" _Yes, we can." She moved her hair from her face, ignoring the slight sound of concern from his voice. "And then we'll just walk two blocks to get to my apartment." She wrapped her arms around his middle and his went around her waist. He grinned down at her and pressed his lips on the top of her head. With a soft "pop!" they were gone._

 _They seemed to be in the middle of some- was that a church? Draco rose his brow at the large building across the street and Hermione shook her head, looking amused. She took his hand, pulling him out of the alleyway. It took them a few minutes to make it to her loft, but they were both so grateful as they walked up the steps. "Finally." Hermione smiled, turning the key in the lock. "Home sweet home." She pressed her lips against Draco's, pushing the door open with her foot, arms around his neck._

" _SURPRISE!"_

" _Oh, Holy Merlin."_

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

" _No! No, stop!" The tan wizard shook his head, one hand moving to point at the man below him. "Say another crazy thing like that and I'll send you to St. Mungo's!" Blaise stopped climbing and held onto the rope with one hand, looking back and down at Draco, who was caught up in hand-to-hand combat with Theodore Nott. "You've only known the girl six weeks! Theo, please knock some sense into him!"_

" _Gladly." The dark-haired man growled out, sending a hard kick at the blonde's side. Draco jumped aside, grabbing hold of the foot and holding it close to him. He twisted, turning the man in the air and watching him drop with a laugh._

" _Technically, it's been eight years and six weeks." Draco answered, ducking as Theo swung, his arms closed around his former classmate's waist, dropping him to the ground in retaliation. Theo let out a loud groan, the breath pushed out of him._

" _You bitch."_

" _You hated her!" Blaise yelled out, climbing the rest of the rope and swinging onto the handle bars. He adjusted his grip, his fingers slightly sweaty. Damn, he was going to have to recharm the gloves to absorb the sweat._

" _I didn't really know her! Not really!" He threw a few punches before Theo gripped his arms and turned them over. He held his hands protectively in front of his face, attempting to hear from behind Theo's swings._

" _That makes no sense! Did you know her or not?" Theo groaned out between hits._

 _Blaise scaled the ceiling, swinging from one bar to the other, sweat dripping down his forehead. "I'm beginning to think you don't know what you want." He growled through gritted teeth, "You don't know anything, and you're a daft idiot. I knew Daphne for 6 years before we got together and I only just proposed last year!"_

" _I knew the bad part of her, the part that I made myself believe." He explained, hooking his knees with Theo's and turning them over, standing immediately. He sent a punch to Theo, hitting him in the face before he was even fully standing and putting him in a proper hold. "I knew those attributes that I hated. And I knew the good ones, but I ignored them." He dropped his friend, pushing him away and turning to look up at Blaise._

" _She works in the Ministry, right?" He swung onto the second set of bars._

" _Yeah, in our Department, well, the Department below us. Who'd have thought Granger would turn out to be an Auror?" He held his hand out, holding back Theo as he tried to drop him. The dark-haired wizard swore, pushing himself away from the blonde. He had to work harder._

" _That's right, she works with Potter and She-Potter, after the ginger left the Holyhead Harpies. Because the other Weasley is working that joke shop with the other twin." Theo leaned against one of the walls, sipping some water._

" _Yeah, something like that. Although, I hear Potter is leaning toward a more political aspect in life." He paused and looked between his two best friends. "I think this is it. I think she's the one. I mean, she's….amazing. I'm- I'm pretty sure I'm in love." Draco shrugged, tilting his head._

 _Theo choked on his water, dropping to the floor, dramatically trying to catch a hold of his breath. Blaise let go of the bars, dropping directly onto his friend. Draco fell to the ground, Blaise's knees digging into his sides. He managed to hold his hands up as the other started pummeling him. "You. Don't. Know. Her."_

" _She's smart! She's sexy! She's confident!" He struggled out, his hand shooting out to grab his friend by the wrist, twisting it. It was his specialty. "She's different!"_

" _You won't last, Draco! You two were meant to hate each other." Blaise hissed as the blonde shook his head. "What?" Realization dawned on Blaise and it was his turn to shake his head. "Don't say it. Don't you dare say it!"_

" _I asked her to marry me."_

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

" _He did what?" Ginny stopped mid-jog, completely baffled. She placed one hand on her small, ever-growing bump and reached a hand out to stop the brunette. Hermione groaned and pulled her arm from her grasp. She continued jogging, entering the park. After a few moments, the ginger ran behind her, albeit a little slower than before. "Hermione! You_ cannot _just drop a bomb like that and go. What did you say?" Hermione stayed silent, allowing Mrs. Potter to catch up to her. She twisted her lips and stopped by a fountain, crossing her arms. She kept her gaze on the floor, which was suddenly far too interesting. "Oh, Hermione, you didn't? You don't think this is happening a little too fast? What will the boys say? I mean, you saw their reaction at your surprise party last time, Ronald was fuming! Harry was too, though he's a bit nicer about it."_

" _Well, it doesn't really matter what they think, does it?" Hermione sent Ginny a short-lived glare, cut off as she sipped from her water. Out of all the people she expected to be okay with it, Ginny was the one. She had quickly accepted Draco, of course, only after she threatened to hex him into last century should he muck up. She sighed, taking her friend's hand. "Ginevra, you know me. I don't do anything without thinking it through. And I've thought it through. I- I never thought I could feel like this after Ronald and I broke up." She felt Ginny squeeze her hands and she smiled widely. "But he lights fire in me, a fire I didn't know I had. A fire that's only there when he's around. I suppose I've always had it. I just always interpreted it as my need to kill him, not sleep with him." At this Ginny playfully gagged, making a face. "Oh, come off it. I listen to all your crazy sex-stories. And that's because Harry's like my brother." Ginny pulled her into a hug and held her tightly for a few moments. Hermione was blushing when she stepped back. "He's amazing and honest and sweet- yes, sweet. Believe me, it is possible of him. Of course he can be a prat when he wants to be, but it's not often. I love him, Ginny. And I'm going to marry him."_

 _Hermione turned from her and began running again, not giving the other girl the chance to respond. Ginny shook her red head, ponytail swaying, she called out after her. "You'd never even see each other anyway, Granger! He's a HIT!" She laughed, watching the girl wave her worries away. Sure, she was a little reserved about her best friend, Hermione Granger, marrying Draco Malfoy, her childhood bully, but if the girl was happy. Then, she would attempt to be happy for her. Perhaps Draco really had changed._

 _-_ FIVE OR SIX YEARS FROM THEN-

The bright blue light of a patronus rushing through the doors broke the couple out of their memories. Dean's brows furrowed as he lifted his hand, his quill and notebook falling back into his hands. He placed them aside, watching the figure move, the couple before him shooting each other a frightened look. The patronus shimmered and began speaking in Ginny Weasley's voice. What she said next had the blood running cold through their veins. "There's been a break in at Azkaban prison. The guards have been killed, all of them, and they've escaped. Every Death Eater, every murderer, all of them." It seemed she sent it from the prison as you could hear clanging and yelling in the background. The next part came out in a whisper. "There's so many bodies….everyone was killed. We need you two. Meet us here."

The two were apologizing, racing from their seats to the door as Dean nodded, encouraging them to go. However, he did remind them of their next session. As he ended the timer, he pointed to the alleyway from his window. "You can apparate from there. And hey- please, be careful." His eyes shone with worry.

Hermione and Draco nodded, opening the door and stepping out. "Not a word to anyone, Thomas!" Draco called out, pulling his wife out into the hallway, making their way down the stairs and out of the building. They ignored anyone who even looked like they might be heading to speak to the two, heading straight to the alleyway. Hermione looked up a second before they apparated away to see Dean's face looking down at them. He nodded once and she gripped tightly onto Draco, feeling him turn on the spot.

They were in no way prepared for they sight that greeted them in Azkaban. Every cell in Azkaban prison, open and empty. Those on the lower levels, the less criminal offenses, those prisoners had either been killed or taken. No doubt, Draco thought, convinced to aid the remaining Death Eaters in whatever their plan was. The two made their way to the topmost floor, looking for Lucius Malfoy's cell, knowing it'd be empty. Hermione shook so terribly that Draco hadn't noticed when he'd taken her hand and laced their fingers. He only felt himself squeeze her hand gently, hoping it would calm her down.

He knew the man who raised him. And he knew he had learned of his marriage to Hermione. They'd long since been afraid of what Lucius Malfoy would do if he could get his hands around Hermione's neck. Draco was sure that was his first order of duty after he was someplace safe. But a part of him hoped his father wouldn't be that stupid. He'd get caught immediately and surely given the Dementor's kiss. The lifts door opened and they stepped out, spotting several sheet-covered corpses. He paused as he entered the hall, noting the door was completely open. He swore and headed over to the cell, where Ginny stood in front of it, her arms crossed, fidgeting visibly. As the couple walked toward it, she shook her head. "No, Draco, don't." He pushed past her and glared, the walls covered in five blood-written words.

' _I'll see you soon, mudblood.'_

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A/N Just to clarify, Draco and Blaise are Hit Wizards. It's an actual thing, if you read under the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the HP wiki. It's pretty awesome. They're more hands on than Aurors. The next chapter will NOT be a flashback! Promise. Please Review!


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